Finally! Now you can live (relive?) the adventures of this year's Tokyo Anime Freedom tour! Check out all the pics RIGHT HERE. Since we've had such an overflow of pictures submitted by participants, in addition to the pics that our staff took, we'll be updating the gallery with "best of" galleries for those who sent in their pics. Watch for those soon.

More tour pics, tour flashback updates, and new tour announcements all coming soon!

The first of a couple updates to the site today is one I've wanted to put up for a long time. The format for the Destination Japan Testimonials page is finished, and now hosts a few words from happy customers! Go see what they said about Destination Japan! You can access the page from the Experience section, or go directly to it from here.

Now that the format is all done, I just have to plug a couple more in. If you've been on a tour and you'd like to say your peace, drop us a line at djapan (at) his-usa [dot] com.

We had a lot of trigger-happy photographers on the Tokyo Anime Fair tour this year, and due to the deluge of awesome photos, posting the gallery is taking a little extra time. We're also fixing up and working on other sections of the site as well, so please hang in there while we get everything up and running.

I know many of you are anxious for news on future tours. Believe me, I'm anxious to tell you! We'll start putting info up as SOON as things are confirmed, so either keep watching the site, or hop onto our mailing list to be the first to know.

Just a bit of Akiba news here. As if there wasn't enough reason to shop in Akiba already, a recent post on the good folks at Akihabara Channel brought news of the newest Mandarake store in Tokyo. Mandarake is a store that buys and sells used anime, games, manga, figures, cels, models, etc. and often has a lot of rare items in stock. The new store is a full 8-story black building (pic from Akihabara OS) located just off the main road in Akiba.

Sorry for the late update, everyone! We are BACK from the amazing Tokyo Anime Freedom 2008 tour. Such a great group - such a great tour. This will be a hard one to top! The tour was a smashing success and really was a dream come true for many involved. A full sightseeing day in Tokyo to shrines like Meiji, Yasukuni, and Asakusa's Sensouji... A full day shopping in Akihabara, Harajuku, and Shibuya... A full anime day in Kichijoji with cherry blossoms in FULL BLOOM... Top that off with the Tokyo Anime Fair and the X JAPAN Reunion Concert! Pics to come shortly - and whoa boy we have a lot of 'em this time!

Tons of updates coming to the site, including brand new tour information! Keep watching the site for some exciting announcements!

Popular Japan blog Japan Probe posted the above pic today, which shows the Sakura forecast for this year. Looks like the cherry blossoms will be in bloom starting THE VERY DAY WE ARRIVE on the Tokyo Anime Freedom Tour (as indicated by the arrow I stuck on there). This is going to be an incredible tour. Seriously. The pics are going to be so awesome.

The H.I.S. Destination Japan office is located in Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles, and the area has a few sakura trees (also commonly known as cherry blossoms) planted here and there. Today at lunch I saw that the sakura were in full bloom. This is a good sign for the upcoming Tokyo Anime Freedom tour. If they're blooming now out here in Southern California, then they should be just about ready to bloom in Japan. That's our office building in the background of the pic above. If only 3 trees look this great, just imagine what they'll look like all over Tokyo.

The 2008 Cool Winter Japan Tour Flashback Days 7 & 8 are now up, completing the series and putting a nice cap on the whole tour. There may be more pictures coming in the future, and you'll be sure to see an update if/when they do.Go see how our epic journey ends! More awesome snow sculptures! A questionable Japanese mascot! The best sushi in Tokyo!!

Day 6 of the Cool Winter Japan tour flashback series is here! Lots of Sapporo Snow Festival pics - snow sculptures, ice sculptures, pics of the group stuffing ourselves with delicious food... It's all there. Take a look at how this year's Cool Winter Japan tour's main event turned out! (I can tell you now: AWESOME.)

Updates just keep rolling in. Check out Cool Winter Japan Tour Flashback: Day 5! Taiko drumming and Asakusa! Also a surprise appearance by chibi Ultraman.

Ha! I told you more was on the way. See what happens when Destination Japan tour people are unleashed on an unsuspecting Tokyo! (SPOILER: A great time.)

Day 3 of the Cool Winter Japan tour! Pictures galore on this one. Check out what a day of sightseeing in Tokyo looks like in absolutely PERFECT weather. Tokyo Tower, Meiji Shrine, imperial grounds, and the sumo town of Ryogoku - all in one flashback. More to come later today!!

Check out other tour flashbacks on the tour flashback page.

The Cool Winter Japan flashback series kicks off today with an in-depth recount of all the awesomeness of the group's intrepid voyage across the Pacific to Japan! Pics, excitement, craziness! Check it out right here. More to come throughout this week!

In collaboration with JRock Revolution, H.I.S.'s Destination Japan is offering all Tokyo Anime Freedom 2008 tour participants the chance to go see the X JAPAN reunion concert at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday, March 29th.

Yes, you read that right. Here it is one more time: All participants going on Destination Japan's Tokyo Anime Freedom tour - only just over 1 month away - will all have the opportunity to go so X Japan LIVE in concert at the Tokyo Dome on March 29th. This is literally a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the X Japan reunion concert PERSONALLY.

The catch? Sign-ups for the tour end soon (tomorrow, Feb.22nd to be exact), and we're not sure we'll be able to accomodate late-comers... Best to get your reservation in now to secure your spot on the tour!!

Hey all! The Tokyo Anime Freedom tour sign-up deadline is almost here (Feb. 22nd) and if you're on the fence about signing up, then your time is running out! We've got an awesome tour planned, which is 100% confirmed for launch this March 24th! We can't guarantee there'll be a late sign-up option, so you'd better hurry!

If you have any questions about the tour, feel free to contact us at any time.

Hey everyone! We know everyone's anxious see pics of the trip, so we've uploaded them all to the gallery. More pics may be added later, but there's plenty for everyone to chew on for now. GO LOOK!

Above? Oh, that's just a wicked-looking ice sculpture of an eagle - a piece from the ice sculpture gallery as part of the Sapporo Snow Festival. Among my favorite pics are this awesome SNOW CASTLE, Mathias looking pimp, and this beautiful shot of Mt. Fuji behind the Tokyo cityscape.

We have returned - triumphant and satisfied - from the 2008 Cool Winter Japan tour! The tour was, without doubt, a big success. A great time was had by all, tons of pics were taken, plenty of good food eaten, and lots of new experiences in Japan for everyone (myself included). We ventured from the Tokyo metropolis, up to the northern island of Hokkaido for the Sapporo Snow Festival and back again, facing cold weather that could have easily sent dinosaurs into extinction. Look for lots of updates here on the site, detailing our travels, with a large helping of pics. Some places we visited include Akihabara and Harajuku for shopping madness, Tokyo Tower for a crystal clear view of Mt. Fuji, Asakusa, the Meiji Shrine, the Imperial Palace, the sumo town of Ryogoku, and a lot more. Also along the way we got a personalized Taiko drum lesson that was a blast, and, of course, the SNOW FESTIVAL was awesome forever times a thousand. Keep watching for pics and more!